Gladney Blog

Jennifer Lanter

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It’s hard to believe the school year is about to wrap up and students will soon be turning in their books in favor of flip flops and sunscreen! As the school year winds down, I want to share with you some exciting updates about Gladney’s AdoptED school-based education program. Since AdoptED’s inception in 2012, Gladney has reached more than 45,000 students with compelling information about all aspects of the adoption process, programs, and careers!

AdoptED was born through collaborative efforts of community leaders and Gladney, who all believe education empowers students to be able to navigate their futures, goals, and dreams. This ground-breaking program works with educators to provide interactive presentations in the classroom setting. AdoptED gives students parameters for goal setting, decision-making, and healthy life choices. Gladney’s goal is to introduce solutions to the problems students are facing today and to empower them with information that can inspire them to make positive life choices.

AdoptED continues to grow and create exciting content for use in schools across the country. This year marked an important milestone, as we entered classrooms in 36 states and hosted 15 field trips to Gladney’s campus! We are already booking for next semester, and we will soon be bringing new AdoptED tools to your community. AdoptED’s app is coming this summer, and we will be unveiling a new website with an innovative built-in learning module for students to access three new adoption lessons. This new digital learning module is important to AdoptED’s long-term growth and accessibility for students and teachers who need Gladney the most.

To learn more about AdoptED please follow us on Facebook or check us out on Instagram. AdoptED Inspires!

Like most people I love to peruse social media for news of the day or for interesting insights on subjects I care about. Recently I read a very compelling and honest article titled, “Pipeline to Homelessness: Aging out of the Foster Care System.” The article details the challenges teens face as they age out of the foster care system.

Because of my work at Gladney, I was familiar with the very bleak outcomes associated with teens aging of foster care. Outcomes including, homelessness, trauma and mental illness, unplanned pregnancy and criminal activity, but what I liked about the article was the call to action for hope. And this is where I see Gladney. We can work together and be the hope for these kids. Because there is a surprisingly simple answer. Find homes for children who need them. Gladney believes every child deserves a loving and caring home. I am very proud and excited about the focus Gladney is giving this issue. New initiatives include:

Gladney Press Release

November is National Adoption Month (NAM). This is an exciting month for us at Gladney and for the millions of American's who have been touched by adoption in some special way. My name is Jennifer and I am an adoptive mother and a staff member at Gladney so NAM has a very special meaning to me. This is a time when me and my family celebrate and offer extra gratitude for the brave decision our son's birth mother made to place him in our family. Her selfless love made our family complete and there is not a day goes by we do not think of her with love and respect.

Gladney Appoints Mark Melson as President & CEO

(FORT WORTH, TX, December 1, 2017)—The Gladney Center of Adoption, a national leader in adoption services for 130 years, announced the appointment of Mark Melson to be the institution’s President and CEO. Gladney’s Board Chairman Christopher Dezzi said Melson’s presence as a current and established Gladney leader offered a unique opportunity for a seamless transition to the position. Frank Garrott, who has an extraordinary record of success furthering the Gladney mission, said he had been contemplating retirement since late summer and informed Dezzi about the decision last month.

In a letter to Gladney’s supporters and staff, Garrott described his 10-year tenure at the organization as a “challenging, wonderful and joyful” period of time.

“It has truly been an honor and privilege to work with everyone in the Gladney family,” said Garrott, “and people are right when they tell me, it’s the best job in the world. “There’s a time for everything, and for me, it’s a time to take up the next challenge and move on to the next chapter of my life.”

Dezzi praised Garrott’s accomplishments, saying his compassion, dedication and wisdom were vital during some opportune and critical moments in the organization’s history.

“Not only has Gladney grown its mission to place thousands of children in loving homes,” said Dezzi, “he has also established innovative and far-reaching outreach efforts, such as the groundbreaking Pathways program as well as the Next Steps initiative that supports birth mothers. In addition, we have expanded our mission with the creation of both AdoptED and Gladney University. Frank has an extraordinary legacy here, and we will miss him personally and professionally.”

Dezzi said Melson’s appointment will be effective January 1, 2018.

“Mark Melson is the right man at the right time for Gladney,” said Dezzi. “Our board has been focusing on all the issues related to future planning and succession. Mark was recently appointed as the Chief Operating Officer for Gladney. His service in that position as well as his work as Vice President for Development proved his solid operational and leadership abilities. We all look forward to Gladney’s next generation of leadership and growth under Mark.”

Garrott said he hopes to “travel the world” after leaving Gladney, and he pledged to continue supporting Gladney and its mission.

“It will be hard to leave,” said Garrott. “I love Gladney. The agency provided for me personally because I am a Gladney parent. There are no words for the gratitude that I feel. When visualizing the end of the year, I know when I walk out the door, there will be a lump in my throat the size of a grapefruit.”

Melson expressed his appreciation for the appointment.

“It’s an honor to stand on the shoulders of those who came before me and lead this great organization,” said Melson. “After almost 10 years at Gladney I have seen how adoption has touched the lives of thousands of families, and as a Gladney Parent I have personally witnessed the miracle of adoption in my own home. I’m excited about our future and building on Gladney’s great legacy.”

About the Gladney Center for Adoption

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Gladney is a not-for-profit organization that since 1887 has placed over 31,000 children internationally and domestically in forever homes and served over 38,000 birth parents. The agency also maintains the largest, most comprehensive maternity home in the United States. For more information, visit our website or call 817-922-6000. The heart and soul of our mission is- a place where hope is born.

Gladney Center for Adoption Named an Official Charity Partner of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon Set for Sunday, November 5, 2017

“Gladneyis proud to serve as an official charity partner of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon”

Gladney Press Release

(New York, NY, October 25, 2017)--Gladney Center for Adoption announced today it is an Official Charity Partner of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon. The race will take place on Sunday, November 5, 2017. The Gladney team consists of eight runners from Texas who all have special ties to adoption.

“Gladney is proud to serve as an official charity partner of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon,” said Frank Garrott, President and CEO of Gladney Center for Adoption. “This opportunity offers a unique and wide-reaching platform for our runners to raise awareness and funds that benefit Gladney’s mission of creating bright futures through adoption. Through your support, you will confirm that each aspect in the journey of adoption is significant. From expectant mothers experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, unsure of their next steps; to children waiting in state foster care and international orphanages, longing for families to adopt them; to couples who desire to open their homes and start or grow their families.”

More than 350 official charity partners will be part of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon. In 2016, 9,000 charity runners raised $36.1 million during the marathon on behalf of hundreds of not-for-profit organizations in New York City and across the nation. Since the inception of the official charity partner program in 2006, $235 million has been raised.

Gladney Center for Adoptionis a national leader in adoption. Celebrating its 130th year in operation, Gladney is a pioneer and an important voice for improving the lives of children, adoptive families and birth parents. The organization believes every child deserves a loving and caring home and is leading the charge in advocating for foster care adoption throughout the country. In the U.S., there are 120,000 children in foster care legally free and waiting to be adopted.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Gladney Center for Adoption as an official charity partner of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon,” said Michael Rodgers, vice president of development and philanthropy for New York Road Runners. “Participants in our official charity partner program run for causes that are important to them, while raising critical funds that directly impact hundreds of charity organizations. We are inspired by the thousands of runners who take part in this program and wish them all the best as they begin their incredible journeys to the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon.”

The 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will feature a world-class American and international professional athlete field, charity runners, and thousands of runners of all ages and abilities. More than 10,000 volunteers help to support participants across the 26.2-mile race route, which touches each of New York City’s five boroughs and is lined with more than one million neighbors and guests.

The 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will be broadcast live locally on WABC-TV, Channel 7, and nationally on ESPN2.

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the largest marathon in the world. Over 1,100,000 people have finished the race since its first running in 1970 with just 127 entrants and 55 finishers running four laps around Central Park. The race expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 and just celebrated its 40th year as a five-borough affair. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the race features over 50,000 runners including the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. Participants from approximately 125 countries tour the city, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and running through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before ending in Manhattan. The NYRR Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City Marathon covered 1.8 miles of the race course in Central Park, beginning near mile 24 and finishing at the famed TCS New York City Marathon finish line. More than one million spectators and thousands of volunteers line the city streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the television broadcast in 175 countries and territories, including viewers in the New York area on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and via various international broadcast partners. The race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which features the world’s top marathons—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York—and crowns the top professional male and female marathoners each year. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the premier partner of NYRR and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. The 47th running of the TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 5, 2017. To learn more, visitwww.tcsnycmarathon.org.

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The Council on Accreditation (COA), a national accrediting entity designated by the US Department of State to provide Hague Accreditation and Approval, invites the public to provide comment on intercountry adoption service providers seeking Hague Accreditation, Approval or Renewal. You are invited to provide comments or complaints through COA’s website